What Now?
by elenniel
Summary: Sanji reflects on the bomb Capone has just dropped on him, and the past that it dredges up. (Inspired by the events of chapter 812. Hints of SanjixNami)
1. Sanji

**Author's note** : _Inspired by the recent events in One Piece chapter 812. I've got my own little headcanon now that says Sanji learnt a lot of his chivalry and "princely" ideals from fairytales which he read in his childhood. I've modified said headcanon here to include Sanji's mother into the mix. Oda is likely to fling all of my headcanons out the window with subsequent chapters but before he does, I'm just putting this out there! ^_^_

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* * *

 **What Now?**

 _"_ _The groom will be Sanji, third son of the Vinsmoke family. The bride will be Pudding, thirty-fifth daughter of the Charlotte family."_

Sanji sat in the room alone. His cigarette, down to a bare nub and no longer lit, lay untouched on the table. The others had been taken away somewhere and Capone had left him with his thoughts. No guards had been left with him. There simply was no need for guards when his crewmates were hostages and their fates depended on his decision. Capone knew that full well.

He thought he had left that world behind. He remembered his family. There was his father, one moment laughing and merry, then deadly serious the next. He recalled always being a little in awe and also frightened of his father. There were his older brothers – one ambitious and clever with some of their father's hardness in them, the other lackadaisal and only inclined towards food and sport. He had never been really close to either of them. And then there was his mother.

His eyes closed at the memory of his mother. He'd loved her best. Not for the first time, he wondered how she was. Out of all his family, he only really missed her. She had read books to him – any book that he chose, whether or not the books were "suitable for boys." His father and brothers had always thought him a bit of an odd duck, especially when he showed a preference for fairytales instead of swashbuckling adventures. But his mother hadn't said anything. She just smiled and gave him more books.

It was through those books that he'd found the characters he really admired. The fairytale princes were practically always good, handsome and charming.

"I want to be a prince!" he had told his mother one day.

Lady Vinsmoke looked at him and said, "Do you know what a prince is?"

"The son of a king."

"That's one kind of prince, yes."

His mother had sat him down next to her – on a bench in the garden; Sanji could remember that moment quite clearly – and had told him what makes a prince. Kindness and goodness, she had said. Gracious manners to everyone ("even to people they don't like much," she had added). A prince makes himself presentable at all times. A prince takes care of his friends and family. A prince will take care of people who are weaker than he is, especially women and girls. A prince would never raise a hand to harm a girl…

For some reason, that advice had stuck with him all the way through his days at the Baratie up until this very moment. His other crewmates didn't quite understand why he treated women the way he did, but no one had ever asked him the reason for it. Funny, that. He'd have thought that by now someone would have questioned him about it. Robin had given him one or two thoughtful glances, but she hadn't asked. Zoro just rolled his eyes and gave him scornful looks. Luffy, Usopp, Chopper, Franky and Brook never expressed curiosity – at least, they didn't when they were around him. And Nami, lovely Nami-san… She had gazed curiously at him sometimes and particularly after the incident with Kalifa, had looked like she wanted to demand a reason from him. But she never had. A pity. He had often felt like he wanted to explain it to her the most.

The voice in his head spoke: _So why didn't you explain it to her?_

Why, indeed? He didn't know.

What he did know was that his past had caught up with him now.

Somehow, they had found out where he was – perhaps it was that dratted "Wanted" poster. And they had decided that he was the most convenient one for an arranged marriage to whoever this girl from the Charlotte family was. Were his brothers already married off too? Or were they destined for different brides?

He had no answers for that. But the biggest question was: What now?

He flicked the cigarette nub away from him and it rolled to the other side of the table and fell off. He should have asked for another cigarette. He felt like he could do with one now.

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 **Author's (end)notes** : I feel like doing a second part, one from Nami's POV. Hmmm. Maybe I shall.


	2. Nami

**Author's note:** _I suddenly realised that OP 813 is out really soon so... I had better spew this out before I have to change my mind due to whatever might happen in 813? I hope Oda doesn't disappoint!  
_

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* * *

 **What Now?**

 ** _Part II: Nami_**

Nami tossed and turned on the small bed. It was reasonably comfortable, but there was just no way she could fall asleep now. Why, _why_ hadn't she and Chopper waited with Wanda and the rest as Sanji had told them to? If they hadn't tried to follow Sanji and Brook, they wouldn't have been captured and they wouldn't be in this mess now!

If one of the others was in the room with her – even that annoying Caesar – at least she could talk to them, try and make some plan of escape… But Capone's people were smart enough to separate them all. Moreover, separation meant that each was an individual hostage and if one got away, the others might well be put to death.

Ugh, she hated when the enemy was clever.

Their enemies had (mostly) had a tendency towards brawn rather than brains, which so far had worked for them since most of their crew was more brawn than brain too. The clever ones on the Straw Hat crew were clearly Robin and herself and Sanji.

Sanji. Sanji. Where was Sanji now? And what was going on?

Nami stared up at the ceiling.

What had Capone said? "The groom will be Sanji, third son of the Vinsmoke family?" Sanji actually had a family? She'd thought he was an orphan, like nearly all the rest of them! Come to think of it, had he ever said he was an orphan? She couldn't remember now, but it felt like he'd never said so one way or another. That sneaky jerk. And who were the Vinsmokes? They sounded like important people, from the way Capone spoke of them. They were willing to marry their son to Big Mom's daughter too! But wait – did that mean Big Mom had _thirty-five_ daughters? That's just freaky. Or were they adopted children, something like how Whitebeard considered all his crew his sons? Or was this Pudding girl just related to Big Mom somehow?

Nami regretted never having really studied the backgrounds of the Four Emperors. She just kind of took it for granted that they existed in isolation...

 _If we get out of this, I swear I'm gonna go look up_ every _bit of information I can about the Yonkou, the Shichibukai and the Supernovas! I swear I will!_

She turned on her side and squeezed her eyes shut, trying to will herself to go to sleep. Perhaps if she fell asleep, time would go by more quickly.

Would Sanji leave them? She had a horrible feeling that he would. But not because he wanted to get married. If she knew Sanji, he would leave them because he thought it would save them. Capone was in control now, since he had all of them in his hands, except for Momo.

Momo! Maybe Momo could help! No, Momo was just a child. He could barely control his dragon transformations. And it wouldn't be good for the Minks to discover he was of Wano. How would she get the message to thim anyway? Moreover, Momo couldn't do anything against Capone. She could imagine the little boy declaring that he would save "Princess Nami" and then getting shot for his troubles. Or getting captured too and being used as a bargaining chip with Kaido.

She smiled wryly in the dark. "Princess." Momo had called her that and she had been flattered. But really, wasn't Sanji the one who treated her like one? Sure, his fawning over her – and all pretty women in general – was a bit much, but if she was honest with herself, she had to admit that a tiny part of her appreciated it. Well, not the part that had been groping her body when Law had swapped their hearts. She frowned. Sanji still owed her money for that. She had to remember to get the penalty fee from him when they got out of this.

When they got out of this.

 _If_ they got out of this. _With_ Sanji.

The dreadful thought came back to her. They _would_ get out of it. Safely. All of them. Except for Sanji. 

* * *

_"_ _I'll come with you. But you must leave this country immediately and do no harm to it. And let my friends go – send them back to the Minks_ safely _. And… I want to see one of them before I leave."_

So it was that hours after Capone handed him the invitation card, Sanji found himself standing in front of the door to the room where Nami was, with three men at his back. The man standing guard at her door unlocked it and let him in.

"Five minutes," said the guard.

Sanji nodded.

He saw Nami lying on the bed, curled up facing the wall, and fast asleep. For a moment Sanji wished he'd asked to see Brook instead. He didn't want to disturb Nami. But… If this could possibly be the last he'd see of his crewmates for some time, he wanted it to be Nami. It was a pity she wasn't awake.

No, he corrected himself. It wasn't a pity she was asleep. It was a good thing. If she was awake, he would be faced with a barrage of questions and emotions that he suddenly felt he couldn't face right then.

So Sanji didn't speak. He merely knelt down by the bed, reached out to brush a few strands of hair away from her face. She looked tired. He clenched his fist, unclenched it, then rested his fingers on her hair for a moment. He didn't dare to do anything else in case she woke up. Then he rose to his feet, placed a folded note on the floor where she could see it, and walked out.

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End file.
